What is a Wisdom
Council? The Wisdom Council (WC) is a structural approach for
involving and empowering people in large systems such as corporations, cities,
organizations, schools, government agencies, neighborhoods, communities,
counties, and even nations. It promises to establish a new kind of creative,
system-wide conversation. It is a way to include everyone in thinking together
on the most difficult issues that builds trust and community, creates new
options, and reaches near-consensus.
Why a Wisdom Council at
Salmon Bay? Friends
of Salmon Bay Elementary (FOSBE) has been looking for ways to create a broader
and stronger voice for the elementary school community beyond the discussions
that occur at the monthly FOSBE meetings.
With all the many important and needed ways to volunteer at school, the
WC provides an opportunity to take a step back from day to day tasks and
operations. By engaging in open-ended,
dynamically facilitated conversation with others in the community we may not
ordinarily talk with at a deep level, we can tap into a new source of wisdom
and vitality, both personally and collectively.
What will the Wisdom Council look like? Every 3 months, about twelve
randomly invited members of Salmon Bay will meet for a total of 6 – 8 hours
over two days. Participation in the Wisdom
Council is completely voluntary! We
don’t want anyone to feel obligated, though we do want you to know that your
participation is valued and valuable.
This group meets with a "dynamic facilitator”, DeAnna Martin,
to identify key issues, work on them creatively, and develop unanimous statements. These
"Statements of the People” have symbolic authority as they are presented
back to the community in a public ceremony. Everyone in the community is
invited to hear the Statements, discuss them with others in small groups and
share their responses at a Community Meeting. Community awareness allows the
Statements to stimulate a larger, community-wide conversation.
It’s a good experience. People
find these sessions engaging and rewarding. The facilitator makes sure that
each participant’s contributions are valued as important parts of the
conversation. Members in councils of this kind have often found their voices as
citizens/members, connected with the wisdom in their community, and found
solutions that had not been “on the table” before.
This process helps our
existing organization. Wisdom Councils make organizations more effective by giving a clear
voice to the thoughts, needs and values of community members. The point of the
Wisdom Council process is to generate a trust-building, system-wide
conversation that reaches specific conclusions. The goal is to have everyone
talking in a thoughtful, creative, heartfelt way about the big issues and to
reach consensus.
Our first Salmon Bay
Wisdom Council is Nov. 4th & 5th, 2005. Those invitees who willingly agree
to participate in the WC will present their Statements at a school Community
Meeting on Nov.7th at 6:30pm.
Questions? Contact Pennie
O’Grady at 524-2914.
You may be randomly chosen and then invited to voluntarily participate
in the first
Salmon Bay Wisdom Council!
